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carbon arc torch

03-01-2013, 08:49 AM

Hey all I was just wondering if those old school carbon arc torches (not the gouger) will run on dc and if so which polarity is better. I found one kicking around my dads farm and would like to play with it. Is it just an ac thing or can I run it in my lincoln pipeliner 200?

Comment

From Wiki: An AC supply is recommended for twin carbon arc welding. In case a DC supply is used, the positive electrode will disintegrate and consume at a much faster rate as compared to negative electrode, because two-thirds of the total heat is generated at the positive pole. This will produce an unstable arc and require frequent adjustment of the electrodes. In AC welding, because of alternate reversals of polarity, both the electrodes will be affected equally and present no problem.

Comment

Thanks for the replies guys. I was talking about the dual carbon rod that I'm pretty sure is more for heating and soldering. And that makes sense the one rod would burn out faster thanks Ill just play on the old ac welder